The digital environment is fundamental to today’s sex education: nearly two decades-old sex and relationship education will be updated, finally!

The Department for Education’s consultation on changes to teaching on sex and relationship education and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) recently closed. LSE’s Professor Sonia Livingstone and MSc Media Communications Governance student DaYoung Yoo give their view on what the Department should do as it considers how to improve PSHE, arguing that the digital must be a dimension of all teaching.

For, and against, Facebook’s Messenger Kids: Part 2 – Against

In the second of two posts looking at the debates surrounding the new Facebook Messenger for Kids app, Alicia Blum-Ross outlines some of the concerns. She argues that we need to know more about whether the app will meet users’ real needs and offer the support that under-13s may require. She also asks if it will lead to more social […]

For, and against, Facebook’s Messenger Kids: Part 1 – For

In the first of two posts looking at alternative sides of the debate surrounding the new Facebook Messenger for Kids app, Alicia Blum-Ross considers the potential positives it offers. She argues that the platform provides the opportunity for under-13s to begin to use social media and develop their digital literacy skills together with their parents. The next post on Friday will contrastingly […]

More hate speech and hateful content for Italian children online

The latest EU Kids Online Survey in Italy investigates how children experience harmful content online, including feeling upset, uncomfortable or scared. Because the number of children who have felt bothered by something online has more than doubled since 2010, Giovanna Mascheroni explores what action must be taken to educate and protect against such abuse. Giovanna is Lecturer in Sociology […]

Young people online: Encounters with inappropriate content

Last week there were a number of news reports about the harmful effects of social media on the mental health of teens and young people. Responding to this, we are publishing two posts this week that address the topic. First, this post by Rose Bray details the findings of the NSPCC and O2’s Net Aware research.

Online child protection in rural Kenya

Caleb Ndaka is a project lead in Kenya, working for Kids Comp Camp. As Kenya focuses on initiatives to bring billions more online, Caleb asks: how can we prepare for child protection online and also make use of the learning opportunities it will bring? Kids Comp-Camp is an organisation which seeks to reach out to children aged 8–15 in marginalised communities, to equip them […]

Book review: American girls: Social media and the secret lives of teenagers

Wendy Grossman reviews American girls, by Nancy Jo Sales, published in 2016 by Alfred A. Knopf. The book asks what is social media culture? And, what it is doing to young girls? Taking a critical stance, Wendy raises concern about the research’s methodology and mode of storytelling. Wendy writes about the border wars between cyberspace and real life. She […]

Media activities in The Class

Sonia Livingstone, together with Julian Sefton-Green, followed a class of London teenagers for a year to find out more about how they are, or in some cases are not, connecting online. In this post, Sonia discusses the diverse patterns of media use and digital engagement that counter the common narrative of screens simply dominating teenagers’ lives. The book about this research project, The […]

Digital skills matter in the quest for the ‘holy grail’

As part of the European Commission Study on the impact of marketing through social media, online games and mobile applications on children’s behaviour, Sonia Livingstone and her colleagues published an analysis of a survey of 6,400 European parents to see whether they are finding the ‘holy grail’ of managing their children’s internet use. Today is Safer Internet Day, and Sonia takes a closer look […]

Book review: Disconnected: youth, new media and the ethics gap

Guest blogger Wendy M. Grossman wonders whether it is right to be optimistic about our digital futures? She discusses Carrie James’ new book Disconnected: youth, new media and the ethics gap in which the author suggests caution, emphasising time for reflection rather than disconnection. Wendy writes about the border wars between cyberspace and real life. She is the 2013 winner of the Enigma […]

We use cookies on this site to understand how you use our content, and to give you the best browsing experience. To accept cookies, click continue. To find out more about cookies and change your preferences, visit our Cookie Policy.